Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Going Green

When I discovered Bow on the BRAT site two years ago and read that she liked broccoli, brussel sprouts and other veggies, my first reaction was that surely couldn't be true. But once she became a part of the household I learned that it was definitely true, and it always shocks non-basenji owners when I tell them that she'll eat up snap peas with so much enthusiasm you'd think it was bacon.

I'm curious if this is something other basenjis typically do or if there is any risk of her eating them. Like anything, I give it to her in moderation, but since I've seen nothing out there suggesting it's risky I'm interested to hear others' perspective.

6 comments:

  1. I haven't tried snap peas but my guys refuse anything but meat.

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  2. Cleo enjoys lots of different veggies...broccoli, carrots, yams, potatoes, peas, green beans. I find it interesting that she really doesn't care for fruits at all...she won't even come within 3 feet of a banana!

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  3. My Basenji, Kemus, receives veggies with the same enthusiasm as Bow. He has recently taught his non-Basenji sisters to enjoy this delicacy.

    I provide veggies in moderation. The biggest hit is the cut off of pole beans prior to cooking. I also pass out extra green veggies and pasta that sneaks out of the strainer. To prevent bloating, I do not give my dogs gaseous veggies (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, etc).

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  4. I've got two basenjis and a border collie mix that *love* veggies...green peppers being the all-around fav. They have always been grass grazers, of course...and also garden patch thieves. They think I raise peppers n' tomatoes just for them. Then there are the seeds/grains out in our fields that they spend crazy amounts of time harvesting, crunching. They also do fruits. Apples, watermelon (including the entire rind) and cantaloupe are especial favorites in our kitchen. I used to give one of my lure coursers raisins as an energy boost during trials, her preference by far. And they take serviceberries right off the bushes in the fall. Who says dogs are naturally mainly meat-eaters? When a canid kills a ruminid in the wild, the intestinal grass/grain matter is their greatest delicacy, eaten way before the meat.

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  5. My b-boy Quantum loves carrots, pea shells (spits out the peas), green, yellow and red peppers, mangoes, nectarines, peaches and just Granny Smith apples. He is a horrible garden-raider for peas and once stole a green pepper off the kitchen counter and ate the entire thing except for the seeds. I have always heard that dogs cannot have raisins, grapes, onions, tomatoes, chocolate, macadamia nuts and some other things that I can't think of right now, so I am very careful of what I do give him.

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  6. I read on the BRAT "quirks" page that Bs love fruit and veggies! This hasn't been true with Bowpi though... She likes mushy orange things: sweet potatoes and pumpkin. She'll pick out green things, and has no interest in fruit.

    I frequently steam veggies (broccoli, green beans, carrots) to chop up and add into both my dogs' meals. My shiba's a hearty eater of all kinds of fruits and veggies -- he especially likes carrots and apples and melon in the summer. But Bowpi won't even take them in her mouth when offered. When veggies are added to her meal, I'll return to find a ring of greens strewn around the outside circumference of her bowl. What a mess.

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